


Cards

by PseudonymousBotched



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Doctor, Oneshot, Sweet, the doctor uses they/them pronouns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-09-15 19:07:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9251768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PseudonymousBotched/pseuds/PseudonymousBotched
Summary: Some fluff involving Nine, Jack, a blanket fort, a pack of cards, and homesickness that Jack knows how to cure.





	

It was the Doctor’s idea to make a blanket fort in the console room. Middle of the night, or what passes for night in a space/time ship. The lights are dimmed, a clarifying silence hovers in the air. The engine sounds like it’s breathing softly and deeply. And a soft glow of a flashlight emerges from a corner, muffled by the blanket.

Underneath, the Doctor and Jack are sitting crosslegged and playing cards. The Doctor had produced the deck from somewhere within their jacket pockets, although they proved to be terrible at shuffling them, resulting in cards flying everywhere and the two laughing, quietly so as not to disturb the silence.

The two play in quietness for a while. They chat about nothing, breathy words that meant little. The sound of the cards sliding against each other, and the sound of breathing. They are close, but not close enough to see the other’s cards, heating the air between them with their breath. The Doctor can’t help but lean closer to Jack, drawn in by his presence.

The Doctor takes a quick breath in, seems to catch it between their teeth and hold it for a moment. “I want to go home,” they blurt out.

Jack pauses, blue eyes flicking up to meet the Doctor’s gaze. The Doctor looks away, suddenly unable to bear the intimacy of eye contact.

“D’you wanna talk about it?” Jack asks.

The Doctor says nothing, and pointlessly rearranges the cards in their hands.

“Hey.” Jack leans forward, and tries to catch the Doctor’s eyes. “Whenever you’re ready, okay?” 

He kisses them, a soft and reassuring brush of the lips. The Doctor unconsciously leans into his touch and closes their eyes.

When the kiss is over, Jack doesn’t pull away, but very intentionally tilts his head forward so their foreheads are touching. The Doctor sighs into the space between them, feeling the peculiar sense of relief when another mind touches their own. Although their mind is closed, they can still feel the rough shape of Jack’s mind, radiating solidity and concern, and the odd sensation of feeling a heartbeat that wasn’t their own.

The burst of homesickness passes. But the Doctor doesn’t move, because the moment is perfect exactly the way it is, and all they want right now is to stay exactly where they are, hiding from the world with Jack’s kiss on their lips.


End file.
